One dead in Hawthorn Woods head-on crash

A Waukegan man died after the vehicle he was driving crossed the centerline on Fairfield Road in Hawthorn Woods and caused a head-on crash early Sunday, authorities said.

Hawthorn Woods Police Chief Jennifer Paulus said it is believed Armando Rivera, 35, was under the influence of alcohol when he caused the wreck, but toxicology results are pending.

Lake County Deputy Coroner Orlando Portillo said Rivera died from multiple injuries. Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene.

Paulus said Hawthorn Woods police responded at 1:49 a.m. Sunday to a report of the head-on crash on Fairfield, roughly 500 feet south of Holmes Avenue.

A preliminary investigation shows Rivera was behind the wheel of a 1997 Nissan Altima that was heading south on Fairfield when it crossed the centerline and collided with a 2013 Ford F-150 driven by a 60-year-old Wauconda man. Paulus said the Wauconda man was in serious condition Monday at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake Barrington.

Paulus said there were no passengers in either vehicle. Investigators from the Hawthorn Woods police department and the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team are working the case.

Fairfield Road through Hawthorn Woods was closed about five hours after the crash. Paulus said the South Lake County Regional Community Emergency Response Team was activated to assist with traffic control and portable lighting in the area.